Signal apparatus



2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. POIRIER SIGNAL APPARATUS.

man APR. 4, 1922.

FIGE Zlnoenl'oz flafiomsai airier I 6cm :1 m

Dec. 19, 1922.

I It lowlilil Il L E E Mn 8 8 T E E H s 2 w. u um E RM DIR O P DI A LD A ANN If S 2 2 70v 1 2 9 1 n u mull/FA? fizom/mef I G n Mu ALPHoNsE rornrnn, or SPOKANE, wnsnrneron,

Patented Dec. l9, lit- 22,

meant arsnrfiorricsd;

ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT J. cox, or

SPOKANE, 'WASHINGTON.

SIGNAL APPARATUS. v

Application filed April 4,

State of l"Vashington, have invented certain Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. o

This invention relates to signal apparatus for automobiles and other motor vehicles, and designed to give notice to the traffic in front of and to the rear ofthe car when the driver thereof is about to make a turn, or to slow up preparatory to coming to a stop, or for any other purpose.

' The invention has'for its object to provide a novel and improved apparatus of the kind stated embodying a pair of illuminated casings bearing inscriptions, said casingslbeing rotatable to display the desired inscription,

together with a pointer which is pivoted to point in various directions according to the inscriptions to be displayed. The pointer is operated simultaneously with the casings, and the positions it assumes correspond to the requirements of the generally prevalent traific regulations in regardto hand signaling.

With the object stated in view, the invention consists in a combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that the same may be better understood, referenceis had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is an elevation of the apparatus; Figures 2 to 4: are diagrammatic elevations showing'the different kinds of signals to be displayed; Figure 5 is a cross-section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6- 6 of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a sectional detail of a switch mechanism, and Figure 8 is a diagram showing certain electric circuits.

Referring denotes an elongated housing of sheet metal or other suitable material which is 'horizontallypositioned to extend sidewise and outwardly from the body of the oar. The housing i's carried by a tubularsupporting arm 11, and it is supported in'the position stated by a suitable clamping member 12 carried by the arm 11 and attached to the windshield support-13. Itwillbe understood,-

oi cou'rsepthat any other meansimay be promember specifically to the drawings, 10 1 j that they areivisible fro from the" front of the car. plvot'm'embers 17 and 21 supportthecasings 1922. Serial no. 549,586;

.vided for supporting the housing 10 in proper display position on the car.

To the inner end of the housing is fastened a hollow coupling member 14L having -a'center .branch'15 and two'other branches new and useful Improvements in Signal ing. .The' coupling member 1 1- is carried" bythearm-ll, it being-'fitteclto one end of the latter. The'oth'er end'of the arm ll extends over into the drivers compartment of the car, and at this end'is located a crank handle 16 for operating the signal members to .be'presently described.

The connection between the coupling 14 and the housing 10 is made by a pair of sleeves l'l'having one end portion annular flange 18. The threaded ends of the sleeves 17 pass through apertures in the housingendwall and'are screwed intothe firmly against the housing end wall on the inside thereof. The "housing end wall is in this manner firmly clamped between the flanges 18andthe extremities of the'two branches 15 of the coupling memberle. The center branch 15 of the coupli'ng'mem her is located overan aperture 19 in the housing end wall.

The unthreaded ends of the sleeve 17, which are located in the housing 10 serve as bearing supports forfione end of a pair or rotatable and illuminated casings 20, said of these'panes contain inscriptions, and the other pane is left blank.

. The inscriptions y be ght, "Left and Slow, and

they are displayed through'frontand rear the housing 10, so m'therear as well as i display openings 23 in The bearing or 20 for rotation about a horizontal axis, and

; externally screw-threaded, andprovided ini vtern'iedlate their ends with an outstanding branches 15?, so that the flanges 18 seat casings being" supported at their opposite ends'by plvot studs'2l carriedby the outer,

The casings 20 are rotated to display the desired inscription, by means of the crank handle 16, the same being fastened to a shaft 2% passing through the arm 11, the coupling member 1a, the center branch 15 of the latter, and the aperture 19 in the inner endv wall of the housing 10, and extending a short distance into said housing, in which latter it is fitted with a spur gear 25 which is in mesh with pinions 26 running loosely on the bearing's or pivots 17 and fastened to the inner end walls ofthe casings 20. The sleeves forming the bearings or pivots 17 extend into the casings 20, and as they are stationary they may be employed for supporting the lamps 27 by which the casings areilluminated. These lamps are incandescent electric lamps carried by ordinary slip sockets 28 which are carried by the sleeves and secured thereto by clamping rings 29. The

sleeves have projecting end tongues 30 on which the sockets 28 seat and to which they are secured by the clamps v29. This connection permits ready removal of the lamps for dismounting the apparatus; Figure 6 shows one of the lamps removed, and in Fig-- ure 5 both lamps are shown removed.

1 In addition to the illuminated casings 20, the apparatus also employs an arrow-shaped pointer or similar indicator member 31 which is rotatable simultaneous with the casings. This pointer is normally positioned in the housing 10 and it is rotatable to point in various directions according to the inscriptions displayed through the sight openings 23. a

' At the outer end of the housing10 are outstanding ears 32 between which the inner end of the pointer 31 is positioned, and pivoted on a bolt- 38 passing through said ears. I

In the bottom of the housing 10 is a slot 34:

through which the pointer swings into and out of the housing.

The pivoted end of the pointer has gear teeth 35 which are in mesh with a spur gear 36 fastened to the outerend of one of the casings 20, so that the pointer may swing to and from display position when the casing is rotated. Continuations of thesegear teeth across the pointer are had by apcr t'ures 35 a When in non-display position, the pointer 31 is inside the housing 10, and occupying a horizontal position between. the casings 20. In thisposition of the pointer, the casings 20 are also in non-display position, the blank transparencies 22 showing through the front gand rear openings23 of the housing 10. Figure 1 shows the parts in. this position.

When the casings 22 are rotated to display the Slow inscriptions, the pointer 31 swings downwardly out of the housing 10 through the slot 3a to pointdownwardly, as

I s'hownin Figure 2. When the casings are rotated to 'display'the Left inscriptions,

a. After each signal the casings 20 will be rotated to expose the blank transparencies 22 through the sight openings 23, and simultaneous with this movement of the casings, the pointer swings back into the housing 10, so that the signal elements are now back to non-display, position.

A switch device is also provided for controlling the lamps 27. 'For this purpose there isrigidly mounted on the arm 11, adjacent to the'hub of thecrank handle 16, a cap 87 of insulating material in the outer end of which are embedded two spaced contact points 38. On the shaft'Q i is mounted a disk 39 of insulating material in one side of which is embedded an arcuate conductor strip 40. The disk 39 is fast on the shaft 24L to turn therewith, and for this purpose, the shaft may be squared as shown in Fig. 7 and the disk provided with a correspondingly' shaped center aperture to receive the shaft. The disk 39' is located between the cap 37 and the hub of the crank handle 16, and its side in which the conductor strip is embedded vis contiguous to the end of the cap 37 in which the contact points 38 are embedded, so that said strip may engage the contact points and bridgethe same. This action takes place when the shaft 24k is rotated to placeqthe signal devices in any one of the l'iereinbefore described display positions, and as thecircuit of the lamps 27 is now closed, the casings 20 are illuminated so that the inscriptions may be clearly visible at night-time. Thef pointer 31 is illuminated through the-slot 34:. When the shaft 24 is turned to bring the signal devices back to non display position, the conductor strip 4:0.rides cit one of the contact points 38, thereby breaking the circuit of the lamps 27.

The lamp wires 41 enter the arm 11 through an aperture as therein, and one of the wires is connected to one of the contact points 38, the other wireleading to one side ofa battery and the other current source 43 having its other side wired to the other contact point 38. Figure 8 illustrates this wiring diagrammatically. The lamp wires in going to the lamps 27 pass through the member 14, the branches 15, and the tubular members 17 I claim- 11. A'vehicle signal apparatus comprising a housing having a display opening, a rotatable illuminated casing in the housing having transparent sides bearing inscriptions visible through the display opening of the housing, a pointer in the housing supported for a swinging movement to project from the housing in different predetermined positions, means for rotating the casing to selectively display the inscriptions, and means for effecting the operation of the pointer simultaneously with the rotation of the casing.

2. A vehicle signal apparatus comprising a housing having a display opening, a rotatable illuminated casing in the housing having transparent sides bearing inscrip tions, and a blank side, said sides being visible through the display opening of the housing, and the blank side being normally in isplay position, a pointer in the housing supported for a swinging movement to project from the housing in different predetermined positions, means for rotating the casing to selectively display the sides thereof through the display opening of the housing, and means for effecting the operation of the pointer simultaneously with the rotation of the casing, said pointer swinging into the housing when the casing is rotated to display the blank side, and out of the housing when the casing is rotated to display the inscribed sides. Y

8. A vehicle signal apparatus comprising a housing having display openings on opposite sides, a. rotatable illuminated casing in the housing back of each display opening, and having transparent sides bearing inscriptions which are visible through said opening, a pointer in the housing between the casings and supported for a swinging movement to project from the housing in different predetermined positions, means for simultaneously rotating both casings to selectively display the inscriptions thereof,

and means for effecting the operation of the pointer simultaneously with therotation of the casings.

4:. A vehicle signal apparatus comprising a housing having a display opening, a rotatable illuminated casing in the housing having transparent sides bearing inscriptions visible through the display opening of the housing, a pointer in the housing supported for a swinging movement to project from the housing in different predetermined positions, means for rotating the casing to selectively display the inscriptions, and

site sides, a rotatable illuminated casing in the housing back of each display opening,

and having transparent sides bearing inscriptions which are visible through said opening, a pointer in the housing between the casings and supported for a swinging movement to project from the housing in different predetermined positions, means for simultaneously rotating both casings to selectively display the inscriptions thereof, and means for effecting the operation of the pointer simultaneously with the rotation of the casings, said pointer swinging out of the housing when the inscriptions are displayed,-and into the housing when the easings are rotated to place the inscriptions innon-display position. i

6. A vehicle signal apparatus comprising a housing having a display opening, a rotatable illuminated casing in the housing having transparent sides bearing inscriptions visible through the aforesaid display opening, a pointer in the housing pivotally supported for a swinging movement to project from the housing in different predetermined positions, a gearing between the casing and the pointer, and means for rotating the casing.

7. A vehicle signal apparatus comprising a housing having a display opening, a rotatable illuminated casing in the housing having transparent sides bearing inscriptions visible through the aforesaid display opening, a pointer in the housing pivotally supported for a swinging movement to project from the housing in different predetermined positions, a gear on the pivoted end of the pointer, a gear carried by the casing and in mesh with the pointer gear, and means for rotating the casing.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ALPHONSE POIR-IER. 

